Dorsey & Whitney announced Richard (Dick) Manner has joined as Of Counsel in the firm’s Finance and Restructuring Practice Group in the Denver office.

Manner has spent his entire career within the Farm Credit System (FCS). For the past 15 years, he was with CoBank, ACB and subsidiaries Farm Credit Leasing Services Corporation and CoBank, FCB. He was most recently assistant general counsel and corporate secretary of Farm Credit leasing and senior corporate attorney and assistant corporate secretary of CoBank.

Manner brings extensive knowledge of the FCS as a whole, including its legal structure and authorities under the Farm Credit Act of 1971, regulations of the Farm Credit Administration, organizational structure, and eligibility rules, as well as all types of transactional matters (with particular focus on secured lending and leasing). He has practiced in the industries that the FCS finances, especially with respect to agricultural production, cooperatives, agribusiness and rural energy and telecommunications.

“Dick has tremendous Farm Credit System knowledge and experience,” said Dorsey Managing Partner Ken Cutler. “He will expand our capacity in representing cooperatives with his experience in this area involving lending and leasing transactions and enhance the Firm’s already strong industry focuses in banking and food and agriculture.”

Manner noted, “This is an excellent opportunity for me and I look forward to bringing my FCS background and expertise to Dorsey’s strong Firm-wide practices serving the banking, cooperatives and the food and agriculture industry more generally. It will enable me and my Dorsey colleagues to serve more of our clients’ finance and leasing needs more efficiently.”